FunStart Family Sports and Leisure Club

Phuket is a great place for children to have fun in the sun, and with more families deciding to live on the island long term, there are new facilities and activities for youngsters opening each year. One such place is FunStart, where little ones can do sport, learn and have fun, it is a family sports and leisure centre that stands out for its quality facilities and value for money.

FunStart is owned by a nearby school, HeadStart, which was originally looking for a site to build a new swimming pool for their students. After discovering the club house in the Chalekeree Village, Kathu, the school decided to lease the property and spruce it up to use as a community centre for all local children to use, not only their school's students.

FunStart opened in October 2011 and has activities for all ages from babies and toddlers right up to teenagers. There are often barbecues at the weekend where the whole family can relax all day with food and music creating a club atmosphere. Within the centre there are various courses children can sign up to, or they can come along ad-hoc and use the facilities.

Sports

Sports are a big focus at FunStart with indoor and outdoor facilities available. The centre piece is the 25 metre swimming pool and baby pool where the swim school has five different classes starting with aqua babies for little ones aged 6 to 18 months, right up to level 5 for ages 12+. In addition to group classes, private lessons are available with both Thai and English speaking instructors.

A hidden gem behind the main building is the three hole golf course which has been designed and built to USGA specifications. The mini golf course has gentle slopes, lakes and bunkers to make the Par 3 pitch and putt course more challenging. Next to the course is a six bay covered driving range which is used for lessons or practicing.

Indoors there is a martial arts centre with 180 sqm of padded space for children and adults to learn judo and karate. The open sided gym has two classes for children age 7+ and 16+ by qualified martial arts coaches. In addition there are aerobics and weight training courses available with a fitness instructor.

Fun

The fun comes in all shapes and sizes at FunStart. On family days the pool has some great big inflatables for kids to slip and slide on, and the poolside wet and dry trampoline from Australia is always a hit. Weekends are also a time when creative classes take place in the various rooms surrounding the pool.

The art studio is home to the painting club and play dough club where kids can join in weekly classes. The Discovery Kitchen is built for small people providing a great place for children to experiment with food and create dishes in the cookery club.

The gaming arcade is kitted out with all the latest video games with X Boxes, PS3s, PS2s and Wii which are projected onto a wall for added fun. The birthday room can be hired for special occasions, and the staff at FunStart can tailor make the party decoration, entertainment and food to suit the birthday boy or girl. Teenagers are not left out, they can come along to the teen club which has monthly parties, an opportunity for them to socialise in a safe and friendly environment.

The Little Rascals play centre is a big attraction with five play sections to stimulate kids from ages 2-10 years. The custom made play centre has a big ball pool, a reading and colouring corner and play areas for boys and girls. Children can play dolls and dress up or with trains, cars, fire engines and more.

Learning

On the upper floor of FunStart there are more rooms where students can take extra curricular language classes in English and Russian. Russian classes were started to cater to the growing number of Russian families settling in Phuket, to ensure their children are up to date with their language skills.

FunStart Camps take place during the holidays and are proving popular with the local community. They involve a combination of creative activities, learning and sports, a great way for children to have fun and develop while school is out.

Membership

To use the facilities at FunStart there are several options with single and family membership passes. A single pass for one month is THB1,200, for a family of 2 adults and 2 children it costs THB9,900 for 3 months. To simply use the centre for one day it costs THB100 per person, all membership includes use of the swimming pool, play centre, gaming arcade, golf and trampoline.

However if a child signs up to do a course such as swimming lessons, judo, art etc, then the use of the above facilities are free. Courses start from THB1,500 up to THB8,000 depending on the activity. Please check the website funstartphuket.com for up to date pricing.

FunStart is the only place of its kind in the area and is ideal for families from the south and north of Phuket as it is centrally located, not far from the large Tesco Lotus supermarket. It is certainly worth a visit if you are looking for a fun and affordable way to keep your babies, toddlers and children active and entertained.